Relying on the size of the tumor alone, it is impossible to judge or evaluate the severity of esophageal cancer, therefore, whether esophageal cancer of 5cm is serious or not can not be generalized, and it should be analyzed comprehensively with other conditions of the lesion, and it will be more serious if distant spread and metastasis have occurred. Esophageal cancer is a kind of malignant tumor caused by malignant lesions of esophageal epithelial tissues. Generally, the severity of the disease is judged according to the clinical staging, and the later the staging, the more serious is the condition of esophageal cancer, and the worse is the prognosis of the patients. According to TNM staging system, the staging of esophageal cancer needs to rely on the infiltration or invasion of primary tumor lesions, regional lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and the degree of differentiation, etc. Therefore, five centimeters of esophageal cancer may be in the early stage of the disease or in the late stage of the disease, but the condition of the early stage compared to the late stage is not so serious, and the prognosis of the patients will be relatively better. Regardless of the size of tumor lesions in the body, once diagnosed with esophageal cancer, an individual should actively receive regular treatment, so as to avoid the deterioration of the condition and endangerment of life.